​Obama’s approval rating climbs back into positive territory

President Barack Obama isn’t exactly riding high on public support, but for the first time in two years more Americans approve of the job he is doing than disapprove.

The news comes courtesy
of a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll that was
released Monday. It found that 48 percent of Americans approve of
the job Obama is doing as president, while 47 percent
disapprove.

Obama is only one point into positive territory and hasn’t hit 50
percent since February 2013, but it’s the highest number the
president has seen in this survey since June 2013.

It’s also marked improvement over his standing with the American
public last year. In August and September 2014, Obama dipped down
to a 40 percent approval rating, with 54 percent of Americans
disapproving of his performance as the country’s chief executive.

Last month’s CNN/ORC poll also found Obama in positive
territory for the first time since May 2013, with a 48 percent
approval rating. Forty-seven percent disapproved of his
performance.

Elsewhere in the WSJ/NBC poll, 49 percent of Americans approved
of his handling of the economy, while 47 percent disapproved.
Obama’s handling of foreign policy, meanwhile, rose from 36
percent to 40 percent, though 53 percent still disapproved.

Notably, the survey found that while Obama’s ratings had
generally risen, those of his potential successor, former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had begun to dip. Forty-two
percent of respondents said they had a favorable impression of
Clinton, and the same number said they had an unfavorable
impression. During the same time last year, she was standing at a
48 – 32 percent favorable rating.

Despite sliding since leaving her post as secretary of state,
Clinton still currently leads the field of potential conservative
opponents in head-to-head matchups, according to the poll.